‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Recap: Four To The Floor
Only one episode to go!
Hello hello hello!
What a journey we have all been on, fellow RDPR fans. From fourteen queens to the top four, this season has had highs and lows, first and repeat offences. But before we dive into this week’s episode, here’s a taste of what might have been, had Ru allowed that true Aussie gay icon a chance at snatching the Drag Race crown…
Most people have never even seen the most iconic workroom entrance in Drag Race herstory pic.twitter.com/YMUnzIPGR8
— Your Friend's Dad (@ReginAdeleRey) June 9, 2017
SCENE: The mainstage of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
RuPaul: Babadook, in this week’s main challenge, you ~sleep~ deprived the competition of a win, and your pop-up book runway eleganza leapt off the page, but the judges still found it… a little two dimensional. Regardless: if it’s in a word, or it’s in a look, I can’t get rid of the Babadook… you’re safe.
END SCENE. Happy Pride, Babadook!
So, let’s get down to brass tacks. After last week’s disruption, when Sasha didn’t win the ball challenge and Peppermint delivered another legendary lip sync, all top three bets were off. So it came as little surprise when Ru declared that all four queens will proceed to the finale.
This is a drag race herstory first. After the emotional All Stars 1 lip sync between Raven and JuJuBee, Ru declared a top four final – but All Stars doesn’t end with the two weeks of hashtaggery and big live finale. Ru’s seemingly snap decision (LOL, nope) to take four contestants to the grand final stage has never happened before, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of queens.
And isn’t that what this season has ultimately been about? Even the “problem” queens of the season, Alexis Michelle and Nina Bo’Nina Brown, were tone deaf and tricky to navigate rather than villainous. Who we are left with may be lacking in petty drama (Sharon & PhiPhi) or idealogical drag differences (Jinkx & Roxxxy) but they are all supremely talented, albeit in different ways. As such, the top contenders for Season Nine are not unlike the top three from Season Six, Bianca, Adore, and Courtney.
The Challenge
This week’s final four challenge repeated the All Stars 2 challenge, in which the queens record their own verses to a RuPaul song, and perform it on the mainstage. It seems the tried and true formula of getting the queens to appear in another Ru music video (the final challenge since Season One) has well and truly played out.
And thank god, because this mainstage performance challenge lets us see so much more of the queen’s talent, personality, and ability to perform under pressure, minus the green screen and edit of a video clip. While nothing can top All Stars 2’s Read U Wrote U (original version: here and Roxxxy-less version: here) this season was pretty. darn. great.
Legendary moments included: Trinity’s “Wilma? I barely know her” Flintstones look, Sasha crawling up from underneath the stage, Peppermint’s verse, and Shea basically being given her own dance solo while the others hung out in the background/watched on in horror at her insane talent.
This Season’s Actual Winner Is…
So now we have this herstory making top four, let’s drill down on this season’s stats and try to determine who will take the crown.
Shea Couleé
.@SheaCoulee is ready for a worldwide stadium tour, turning LEWKS on the runway! ? #TeamShea #DragRace pic.twitter.com/E7tSRvpXN3
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) June 10, 2017
WINS: Four, which ties Shea with RPDR icons Sharon Needles and Alaska for the most wins per season (Alaska’s were during All Stars 2). Statistically, if a queen has more wins than her competitors, she takes the crown.
LIP SYNCS: One, sending Nina Bo’Nina Brown home. Shea’s lip sync was basically a “prove you can do this so we can crown you” performance.
COULD SHE WIN?: Far and away the most polished of the season, if this is a numbers game then Shea absolutely deserves this win. She has risen to the top without resorting to a hatchet job (if anything, she has gone out of her way to lift up her fellow competitors).
WHAT IF SHE DOESN’T WIN?: Shea is the only queen whose brand would take a hit if she didn’t win, i.e. the most competent, polished queen lost to a crowd favourite. Also, Shea wouldn’t bring anything to All Stars if she missed out on the crown. From a RPDR legacy perspective though, I can’t see Shea getting a weekly World of Wonder web series or touring the world with a truly memorable, different type of show…
Trinity Taylor
BACKCHAINZ!?!? You want pageant? @TrinityTheTuck will serve you pageant! #TeamTrinity #DragRace pic.twitter.com/IxpKxniTrW
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) June 10, 2017
WINS: Two, both for surprise comedic turns in the Draggily Every After and 9021-Ho challenges.
LIP SYNCS: One, in the first lip sync shocker of the season when Charlie gave up.
COULD SHE WIN?: Trinity is a self-deprecating pageant queen with a moving backstory and genuine comedic ability. Her win would break the RPDR pageant queen curse and mobilise the show’s fanbase from the south of the USA, snatching the crown from what seems to be an ongoing pattern of coastal, northern USA comedy/quirky queens.
WHAT IF SHE DOESN’T WIN?: Trinity has had the most growth all season, and her “brand” is pretty much locked in. She will have a great run touring the world, would make Alyssa Edwards-level web series content, and is definitely All Stars material.
Peppermint
.@Peppermint247 looking like she came straight from Buckingham Palace tbh.. #TeamPeppermint #DragRace pic.twitter.com/UKBOrVV2hJ
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) June 10, 2017
WINS: One, for the roast of Michelle Visage.
LIP SYNCS: Two, the most legendary of the entire season sending home the CuCu Invader and Wah-lexis Michelle.
COULD SHE WIN?: The numbers are stacked against Peppermint, having only won one challenge and been in the bottom two more than her competitors. However, Peppermint comes to the show already a NYC drag legend, and her empowering narrative as the first openly trans person to enter the competition and make it to the top is a symbolic bridge between the drag and trans community. Peppermint’s win would be both the most politically affirming AND the sweetest.
WHAT IF SHE DOESN’T WIN?: Peppermint already had an album, now available on iTunes, before even getting on the show. Her lip syncs will take her around the world, and if she plays her cards right, could work her away into the hearts of RPDR fans to Latrice Royale levels.
Sasha Velour
.@sasha_velour has on our two favorite things (1) Lace ❤️ and (2) Leather.. ⛓o0oo0o #TeamSasha #DragRace pic.twitter.com/f7nSRHaXoq
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) June 10, 2017
WINS: Two, but only in tandem with her Best Friend Race chum, Shea.
LIP SYNCS: None, the only top queen to make it through without lip synching.
COULD SHE WIN?: Sasha is the quirky underdog of the season, often a crowd favourite (see: the rise and rise of Katya). Her take on drag is artistic, historically aware, and intelligent. She’s also currently the internet’s favourite (her #TeamSasha hashtag is outperforming her three competitors, more than double her nearest rival Shea).
WHAT IF SHE DOESN’T WIN?: Like Peppermint and Trinity, her brand is established. Sasha is a NYC queen with NYC connections, and her new platform will probably see her jump into projects and partnerships with fashion houses etc, not unlike drag race alum Milk. She isn’t quite All Star material, yet she has the potential to go beyond her Drag Race fame, more so than her fellow finalists.
So there you have it. The stage is set. See you in two weeks, Racers!
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RuPaul’s Drag Race is fast-tracked from the US each Saturday on Stan. Read more Drag Race recaps here.
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Nic Holas has written for The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, Archer Magazine, and Hello Mr. You can find him on Twitter @nicheholas, or in his role as co-founder of HIV movement The Institute of Many.